News

Landmark is proud to have been featured in a recent Boston Globe article by the Globe’s Great Divide education team, published on January 12, 2024. In the article, our Head of School, Josh Clark, was interviewed, and shed light on the critical issues surrounding special education in Massachusetts. In addition, Jessica Hoag, a junior at Landmark High School shared her journey with dyslexia in a special accompanying video for the article.

The article highlights the shortcomings of the state of Massachusetts and its obligation to teach its children to read. Students and their parents often find themselves amid long, strenuous, and expensive legal battles with their public school systems in order to receive the necessary diagnoses and proper instruction. Unfortunately, public schools just aren’t designed to deliver individualized instruction and students with language-based learning disabilities, often called “hidden disabilities”, are likely to be at the bottom of the funding list. Students from marginalized backgrounds, including those of color, with limited financial resources, or English Language Learners (ELL), encounter additional hurdles in obtaining proper diagnosis and remediation as well. Josh Clark aptly observes, "We [Landmark School] could triple in size and still not be serving the kids that need to be served." His statement underscores the need for systemic change in educational support for students with dyslexia. 

While Massachusetts is traditionally a front runner in the field of education nationally, school systems here continue to not have what they need to support students and families. This past fall, thanks to a 2018 dyslexia law, all kindergarten through third-grade students must be screened twice annually for reading difficulties. While this is an important step in the right direction, a local superintendent points out that this law came without funding. Overwhelmed educators pour their hearts into working with kids in a broken system.

Early intervention is crucial, and Landmark's successful history has shown that with appropriate teaching and support, dyslexic students can make significant reading progress relatively quickly. Without this support, students may find themselves trapped in a cycle of repeated failure, eroding their self-confidence.

Landmark is both a haven and an idyllic school model for students with dyslexia. “Perched above the gleaming Atlantic on Beverly’s rocky coast, Landmark is among the best private schools in the country for children with dyslexia. It enrolls more than 500 students in grades 2-12 from around the country — and the world. Students there jump multiple grade levels in reading in a single year. Nearly all get accepted to college.” But as you might expect, this idyllic model comes with a steep price tag.

While Landmark continues to provide an ideal model for the students that can come here, we also remain committed to our mission of empowering students with dyslexia and other language-based learning disabilities, advocating for more accessible support systems, and working towards a brighter future for all students in Massachusetts and beyond.

Watch the video below to see how Jessica has overcome the stigma of having a learning difference and how she found success at Landmark. 

If you have a Boston Globe subscription, we invite you to check out the full article here.